Connector guide member

ABSTRACT

A shroud that forms a guide channel for a connector is disclosed and it has the shape of an inverted U-shape, with a press tab for engaging a mating connector. The shroud has notches and tabs formed on it that serve to orient the mating connector for entry into the shroud. A placement member is also described and it serves to hold the connector and the shroud together as a single unit for robotic placement of the shroud and connector in preselected positions on the circuit board.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from prior U.S. provisional PatentApplication No. 60/655,673, filed Feb. 23, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to connector shrouds, and moreparticularly to a shroud and placement member that cooperate as anengaged assembly for mounting the shroud and an associated connector ona circuit board.

Most small form factor pluggable style connectors are surface mounted toa circuit board and then are enclosed in a metal or metallic shieldingcage. The use of this external cage requires that the connector be firstmounted to a circuit board, and then the cage must be mounted to thecircuit board. Many times the connector may be of a surface mount style,while the shielding cage is of a press fit style, meaning that each ofthe two components must be separately applied to the circuit board. Thisadds cost to the assembly process of the electronic device the connectorand cage are used in.

In order to speed the assembly process and to reduce the costs involved,it is desirable that the connector and cage somehow be formed so as topenable their placement by a robotic assembler. Also, inasmuch ascomponents other than the receptacle connector are applied to thesupporting circuit board, it is desirable to provide a means for guidinga plug connector into engagement with the receptacle connector whichalso provides a measure of electrical shielding.

The present invention is directed to guide member that overcomes theaforementioned disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to providea connector and shroud, or guide member, that are easily mounted to acircuit board by automated means.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a metal shroud foruse with an associated circuit board connector, the shroud beingpositioned away from the connector and having a pressure tab thatextends toward the connector to define a contact member that engages theexterior of a corresponding mating plug connector.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shroud having at leastone interior biasing member that applies a biasing force onto a matingplug connector to properly direct the plug connector into contact withthe circuit board connector, and the shroud further having a means forengaging two opposing sides of the plug connector to align the plugconnector with the circuit board connector.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide aplacement member that is insertable into the shroud and which has aforward engagement face that mates with the circuit board connector sothat the circuit board connector and the shroud may be properly spacedapart as an assembly and the placement members having one or more planarsurfaces disposed thereon that may be used for vacuum deposit onto acircuit board.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an insulativeinsert that is insertable into and engageable with the metal shroud, theinsert having additional means for engaging a surface mount circuitboard connector, the engagement means taking the form of a pair ofengagement arms, or a blade member that engages a portion of the circuitboard connector, while supporting the shroud in its proper distance andorientation with respect to the circuit board connector so that thecircuit board connector and shroud may be placed as a unit, onto acircuit board.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a metalguide member for use with an associated receptacle connector that ismounted to a circuit board, the guide member providing a means forguiding in an opposing plug connector into alignment and engagement withthe receptacle connector, the guide member having three sides defining ahollow interior cavity that receives the plug connector therein, theguide member including a plurality of strengthening ribs formed thereinthat modify the cross-section of the sides of the guide member toprovide increased resistance to bending.

The present invention accomplishes these and other objects by way of itsstructure. In a first embodiment of the invention, a shroud, or guide,is provided having a top and two spaced-apart sidewalls. The shroud hasa general inverted U-shape, when viewed from an end, and when placed ona circuit board spaced apart from a connector mounted to the circuitboard, it provides a channel that may guide an opposing connector intoengagement with the circuit board connector. The shroud also serves toretain the mating connector in place.

The shroud has a front face and a rear face, and a press tab extendsoutwardly from the shroud along the rear face in a cantilevered fashionand engages an upper surface of the mating connector when it is insertedinto the shroud. The front face of the shroud has one or more tabsformed thereon, and these tabs serve to orient the mating connector whenthey are properly received within corresponding slots, or notches,disposed on the mating connector housing.

The rear face of the shroud also may include two tabs that are bentinwardly upon the shroud to form a pair of spring arms, and these springarms preferably extend lengthwise within the interior shroud toward therear of the shroud. The spring arms terminate in free ends, which arecaptured by other tabs to define an overall biasing structure thatresembles a leaf spring. These spring arms serve to exert a downwardpressure onto the housing of the mating connector to ensure that it willbe inserted into the shroud and mated with the circuit board connectorproperly.

The shroud may further include one or more slots or recesses in its topwall that are engaged by clip or lugs formed on the mating connector aspart of a mating mechanism. The shroud can also include a pair ofnotches that are formed in the shroud sidewalls, and preferably alongthe front edges thereof. These notches engage corresponding lugs formedon the mating connector housing. With the present invention, the springarms of the shroud serve to orient and position the mating connector inthe vertical direction and the notch-lug combination serve to orient themating connector in the horizontal direction.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a placement, or insert,member is provided that serves to engage both the circuit boardconnector and the shroud, and it positions them in their spacing atwhich they would be mounted to a circuit board. As such, the placementmember forms an assembly or unit with the shroud and connector that maybe robotically placed onto the circuit board. The placement memberincludes a plurality of planar surfaces disposed thereon in either orboth horizontal and vertical planes.

The placement member include a body portion that fits in the interior ofthe shroud and it has notches and recesses in similar locations to thoseused on the mating connector so that it will be properly oriented in theshroud. The placement member preferably includes a primary clip memberdisposed on the top of the placement member and which engages the topwall of the shroud. A pair of rails may be provided in opposition to theprimary clip with guide surfaces to facilitate assembly of the placementmember to the shroud.

The placement member also preferably includes an extending tab that willpass over the top of the circuit board connector and engages the presstab formed in the shroud. A pair of secondary clips are also providedalong one face of the placement member and these secondary clips extendinto engagement with the circuit board connector, preferably on theunderside thereof so that they exert an upward directed engagement forceon the connector while the placement member rear tab and the shroudpress tab exert a downward directed force on the connector. By the useof the balanced force arrangement, the circuit board connector, shroudand placement member are maintained together as a unit during assembly,transportation and robotic application.

In another embodiment of the invention, the guide member is formed bybending a piece of sheet metal into a hollow box-like structure withthree sides, two of the sides defining sidewalls of the guide member andthe third side defining a top wall of the guide member. The hollowinterior of the structure receives a plug connector and the top wall ortwo sidewalls may include one or more, and preferably two, guide tabsthat extend from away from the structure's sides. These guide tabsserves to orient one surface of the plug connector, while slots, ornotches may be formed in one or both of the two side walls to provide anadditional means for guiding a plug connector into the interior of theguide member.

In order to resist the stress which may be incurred from repeatedinsertions and removals of the associated plug connector, the sides ofthe guide member are preferably provided with one or more strengtheningaspects, which in the preferred embodiment, include reinforcement ribsthat are formed in the sides. These ribs desireably run transversely inthe top wall and longitudinal in the side walls. The ribs serve tomodify the cross section of the sides of the guide member, in a mannerthat increases the moment of inertia of the side, which therebyincreases the resistance of the specific side to bending. This providesa durable guide member structure that will reliably complete numerousinsertions and withdrawals of an associated plug connector.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be clearly understood through a consideration of thefollowing detailed description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the course of this description, references will be made to thedrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector and shroud constructed inaccordance with the principles of the present invention and with a plugconnector shown in alignment with but spaced apart from the connectorand shroud;

FIG. 2 is the same view as FIG. 1, but taken from a low angle and withthe plug connector removed for clarity to illustrate parts of thecircuit board connector through the interior of the shroud;

FIG. 3 is the same view as FIG. 1, but with the plug connector partiallyinserted into the shroud;

FIG. 4 is the same view as FIG. 3, but with the plug connector fullyengaged in the shroud and in mating engagement with the circuit boardconnector;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the plug connector of FIG. 1, taken fromthe front thereof;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the shroud of FIG. 1, taken along lines6-6 thereof, and the circuit board connector removed from clarity;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the shroud, taken from the top andillustrating its interior and its circuit board mounting members;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of FIG. 1, taken generally along lines 6-6thereof, but with the plug connector in place within the shroud andmated to the circuit board connector;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the circuit board connector, shroud ofFIG. 1 and a placement member that is constructed in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the placement member inserted into theshroud and engaged with the circuit board connector;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the placement member of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10A is a slight perspective view of the front end of the placementmember of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of FIG. 10, taken along lines 11-11 thereofto illustrate the manner of engagement that the placement member haswith the shroud and the circuit board connector;

FIG. 12 is the same view as FIG. 11, but taken along a differentlocation to illustrate the manner of engagement between the placementmember and the circuit board connector;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a guide memberconstructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention,supported on a circuit board and aligned with a receptacle connector;

FIG. 14 is a front end elevational view of the guide member of FIG. 13;and,

FIG. 15 is a bottom plan view of the guide member of FIG. 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of the invention, namely a shroud,or guide 100, having a top wall 102 and two spaced-apart sidewalls 104.105. The shroud 100 has a general inverted U-shape when viewed from anend, and when placed on a circuit board 110 spaced apart from aconnector 150 mounted to the circuit board 110. The shroud 100 providesa hollow channel 106 that may guide an opposing (plug-style) connector200 into engagement with the circuit board connector 150. The shroud 100also serves to retain the mating connector 200 in place.

As shown in FIGS. 2 & 6A, the shroud 100 has a front face 115 and a rearface 116. A press tab, or press arm 117, is formed with the shroud 100,and the tab 117 extends outwardly from the shroud 100 along the rearface 116 in a cantilevered fashion. (FIG. 6A.) The purpose of this presstab 117 is to engage an upper surface 202, preferably a channel, orrecess 290, of the mating connector 200 when it is inserted into theinterior channel 106 of the shroud 100. The front face 115 of the 100shroud has one or more tabs 118 formed thereon. These tabs 118 areformed along an edge of the side walls, and preferably along the frontface 115 of the shroud 100, and as shown best in FIG. 1, they aredisposed along the base 119 of the two shroud sidewalls 104, 105. Thesetabs 118 serve to orient the mating connector 200 when they are properlyreceived within corresponding slots, or notches 207, disposed on themating connector housing 200.

The mating connector 200, as best illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 & 5, has agenerally polygonal structure, and is shown in the drawings as generallya solid rectangle with a top surface 202, two side walls 204, 205, abottom wall 106 and a rear wall 208. Cables will usually exit from therear wall, but they have been omitted from the drawings for clarity. Thefront face 210 of the connector defines a mating face of the connectorand in applications such as shown in the drawings, the mating connector200 will take the form of a plug connector with a forwardly projectingmating blade 212, typically the edge of a circuit card 214. The topsurface 202 (and in the drawings, bottom surface 106) may have anextension 215 that extend forwardly above and below the circuit card214.

The shroud press tab 117 is bent downwardly to impart a slight bias toit so that it will slidingly or abuttingly contact the top surface 202of the mating connector 200, and in particular, the top extension 215thereof. This type of engagement is shown best in FIG. 4, and the presstab edge preferably engages a recess 290, when either an audible signal

The rear face 116 of the shroud 100 also may include two tabs 120 thatare bent inwardly upon the shroud 100, into its interior channel 106, toform a pair of spring arms 122, and these spring arms 122 preferablyextend lengthwise within the interior channel 106 of the shroud 100toward the front face 115 of the shroud 100. As shown in FIG. 6, thespring arms 120 have curved backbone portions 123 terminate that in freeends 124. These free ends engage other tabs 126 that define inner ledges127 against which the free ends 124 are biased. The free ends 124 of thespring arms 122 are in essence “captured” in place by the other tabs 126to define an overall biasing structure that resembles a leaf spring.These spring arms 122 serve to exert a downward pressure onto thehousing of the mating connector 200. Particularly, the upper surface 202thereof. This downward bias ensures that the mating connector 200 isinserted into the shroud properly so that it slides along the circuitboard 110 and mated with the circuit board connector 150 properly.

The shroud 100 may further include one or more slots or recesses 130 inits top wall 102 that are engaged by clips, or lugs, 220 that arepreferably formed on the mating connector 200 as part of a matingmechanism. These lugs 220 are moved in and out of engagement with theslots 130 by means of a push-type button 225, shown as formed from sheetmetal.

The shroud 100 may also include a pair of notches 135 that are formed inthe shroud sidewalls 104, 105 and preferably along the front edgesthereof. These notches 135 engage corresponding lugs 226 formed on themating connector housing 200. The lugs 226 have an overall T-shape whenviewed from the side, with a center leg 227 that is received within thecorresponding shroud notch 135 and two other legs that form a base 228that is perpendicular the center leg. The base 228 serves as a stop whenit abuts the edge of the sidewalls 104, 105. With the present invention,the spring arms 122 of the shroud 100 serve to orient and position themating connector 200 in the vertical direction and the notches 135 andlugs 226 further cooperate to orient the mating connector 200 in thehorizontal direction.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the shroud 100 may also include surface mount feet138 that are formed along the bottom edges of the two sidewalls 104,105. For purposes of properly orienting the shroud 100 on the circuitboard 110, the shroud 100 may also include through hole pins 139 thatare arranged in a polarizing pattern along the bottom edges of thesidewalls 104, 105.

The circuit board connector 150, to which the mating connector 200mates, is a receptacle style connector with an insulative housing 151that supports a plurality of conductive terminal 152, which are shown ashaving surface mount feet 153 that are connected to conductive padsarranged on the surface of the circuit board 110. The connector includesa card-receiving cavity 154 that receives the edge card 214 of themating connector 200, and it includes a second cavity 155 beneath thefirst cavity 154. This second cavity receives the lower extensionportion 2316 of the mating connector 200 and as such, it provides ameasure of polarization to the connector so that the mating connector200 will be properly mated therewith.

In another embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in FIGS.8-12, a placement, or insert, member 300 is provided that serves toengage both the circuit board connector 150 and the shroud 100 in amanner so that it positions them in their spacing at which they would bemounted to the circuit board 110. As such, the placement member 300forms an assembly or unit with the shroud 100 and the connector 150 thatmay be robotically placed as a whole onto the circuit board 110. Theplacement member includes 300 a plurality of planar surfaces disposedthereon in either or both horizontal and vertical planes to permit avacuum pick and place pie to contact.

The placement member 300 include a body portion 302 that fits in theinterior channel 106 of the shroud 100 and it has notches 303 andrecesses in similar locations to those used on the mating connector 200so that the placement member 300 will be properly oriented in the shroud100. The placement member 300 preferably includes a primary clip member305 disposed on the top 304 of the placement member 300 and whichengages the top wall 102 of the shroud 100. This clip 305 extendsforwardly in a cantilevered fashion over a pair of rails 306 (FIG. 8)that are aligned in opposition to the primary clip 305. These rails 306may include guide surfaces 310 at their forward ends so as to facilitateassembly of the placement member 300 to the shroud 100. The rails arespaced apart widthwise along the placement member top, and theypreferably extend underneath the arms 304 of the primary clip 305. Asshown in the drawings, the placement member may be easily inserted intothe shroud 100 from the front. The top surface of the clip 305 ispreferably planar so that it may serve as a vacuum pick and placesurface.

The placement member 300 also preferably includes a forwardly extendingtab 312 that will pass over the top of the circuit board connector 150and engages the press tab 117 formed in the shroud rear face 116. Thisforward tab 312 extends past the leading edge 320 of the placementmember body 302. A pair of secondary clips 314 are also provided alongthe forward face of the placement member 300 and these secondary clips314 extend into engagement with the circuit board connector 150,preferably on the underside thereof and into the lower cavity 155, asshown best in FIG. 12. This is so they can exert an upward directedengagement force by way of their hook ends 325 on the connector 150while the placement member forward tab 312 and the shroud press tab 117exert a downward directed force on the connector 150. By the use such ofthe balanced force arrangement, the circuit board connector 150, shroud100 and placement member 300 are maintained together as a unit duringassembly, transportation and robotic application.

The placement member 300 has notches 303 that engage the tabs 118 on theshroud so that the placement member may be positioned properly withinthe shroud 100. As shown in FIG. 8, the shroud 100 used in thisembodiment is a compressible mount to the circuit board 110, and so usescompliant pin tail portions 170. The placement member thus integratesthe connector 150 and the shroud 100 into a single unit for easy roboticplacement directly in place onto a circuit board without fear ofsignificant deviation from its assigned position.

FIGS. 13-5 illustrate another embodiment of a connector guide member 400constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.This guide member 400 also has three side walls 401, 402 & 403, two ofwhich are vertical side walls and the other is a horizontal top wall403. The general structure of this guide member 400 is similar to thatdescribed above, including the notches 405 formed in the forward edgesof the two side walls 401, 402. Two guide tabs 406 are formed along theforward edges of the top wall 403 and the tabs 406 depend downwardly andthey serve to orient the plug connector into the hollow interior of theguide member 400. The guide tabs 406 are spaced apart from each other inthe horizontal direction and the guide member top wall 403 includes apair of openings 409 that are also spaced apart horizontally, but whichare disposed inside of the guide tabs 406 as illustrated.

The walls of the guide member may each include one or more reinforcingribs 410 that are stamped in the walls. These ribs 410 extendlongitudinally in the side walls 401, 402 and transversely in the topwall 403. The ribs 410 are stamped so that they project outwardly, andthis projection serves to increase the resistance of the walls tobending forces that may be incurred due to insertions and removals ofthe plug connector into the guide member. This increase is accomplishedby changing the cross-section of the walls so as to positively affectthe moment of inertia of the wall, which in turn increase resistance ofthe walls to bending.

The guide member includes a press arm 420 extending rearwardly from therear edge of the top wall 403, and two notches, or reentrant portions421, are disposed in the top wall 403 adjacent the opposite sides of thepress arm 420. (FIG. 15.)

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatchanges and modifications may be made to these embodiments withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which isdefined by the appended claims.

1. A guide member for guiding a plug connector into engagement with areceptacle connector, comprising: a body including three distinct walls,the three walls including two side walls and a top wall interconnectingthe two side walls together, the three walls cooperatively defining ahollow shell having a general inverted U-shape for mounting to a circuitboard, the shell including at least one press arm disposed along a firstedge thereof, the press arm for pressing against a portion of a plugconnector inserted into the hollow shell, said shell including means foraligning the plug connector when said plug connector is inserted intosaid shell, the alignment means comprising first and second sets ofalignment members, the first alignment members including a pair of guidetabs disposed on said body and located along a second edge of said shellopposite that of said press arm, the second alignment members includinga pair of alignment notches located along the shell second edge andspaced apart from said guide tabs, the hollow shell further including atleast one spring arm extending interiorly of said hollow shell in alengthwise direction between said first and second edges.
 2. The guidemember of claim 1, further including a second pair of notches disposedon the first edge of said shell, located adjacent to opposite side edgesof said press arm, the notches extending toward said shell second edge.3. The guide member of claim 1, further including a pair of spring armsextending interiorly of said hollow shell between said hollow shellfirst and second edges.
 4. The guide member of claim 3, wherein saidspring arms extend into contact with said guide tabs.
 5. The guidemember of claim 3, wherein said spring arms extend lengthwise interiorlyof said hollow shell in a rear to front direction and said spring armsinclude free end portions.
 6. The guide member of claim 1, wherein saidshell includes means for mounting said shell to a circuit board.
 7. Theguide member of claim 6, where said mounting means includes a pluralityof through hole pins and surface mount feet.
 8. The guide member ofclaim 1, further including a pair of engagement openings disposed insaid shell top wall for engagement by an opposing plug connector, theguide opening engagement openings being positioned on said shell to wallbetween and interior of said guide tabs.
 9. The guide member of claim 1,wherein said guide tabs are disposed along a horizontal portion of theshell second edge and said alignment notches are disposed along avertical portion of said shell second edge.
 10. The guide member ofclaim 5, wherein said spring arms arms extend from said hollow shellfirst edge forwardly toward said hollow shell second edge.
 11. The guidemember of claim 3, wherein said spring arm free end portions extendtoward said hollow shell first edge.
 12. The guide member of claim 1,wherein said spring arm exerts a pressing force on a connector insertedinto said hollow shell.
 13. A guide for guiding a plug connector intoengagement with a receptacle connector, comprising: a body includingthree distinct walls, two side walls and a top wall interconnecting thetwo side walls together, the three walls cooperatively defining a hollowshell having a general inverted U-shape when mounted to a circuit board,the shell including a press arm extending from a first edge thereof forpressing against a portion of a plug connector inserted into the hollowshell, said shell including first and second alignment members disposedalong a second edge of said hollow shell for aligning the plug connectorwith a receptacle connector when said plug connector is inserted intosaid hollow shell, the first alignment members including at least onespring arm extending lengthwise and interiorly of said hollow shell forexerting a pressing force on a plug connector inserted into said hollowshell, the second alignment members including a pair of alignmentnotches located along the shell second edge and spaced apart from eachother said alignment notches being disposed along a vertical portion ofsaid shell second edge.
 14. The guide of claim 13, further including apair of spring arms extending from said shell top wall longitudinallywithin an interior of said hollow shell.
 15. The guide of claim 13,further including a pair of spaced apart guide tabs disposed along saidshell second edge.
 16. The guide of claim 13, further including a pairof guide tabs located along a second edge of said hollow shell, and saidspring arms contacting said guide tabs.
 17. A guide member for guiding aplug connector into engagement with a receptacle connector, comprising:a body including three distinct walls, the three walls including twoside walls and a top wall interconnecting the two side walls together,the three walls cooperatively defining a hollow shell having a generalinverted U-shape for mounting to a circuit board, the hollow shellincluding opposing first and second edges, said hollow shell furtherincluding a press arm disposed along a first edge thereof for pressingagainst a portion of a plug connector inserted into the hollow shell andwhich extends past the hollow shell first edge, said hollow shellfurther including at least one spring arm disposed interiorly of saidshell and extending lengthwise between said shell first and secondedges, the spring arm exerting a pressing force on a portion of the plugconnector inserted into said hollow shell which extends between saidhollow shell first and second edges.